The CBI has arrested two advocates and a businessman in its probe into alleged derogatory posts made online against judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, officials said on Sunday, February 13. Advocates M Chandrasekhar Rao and Kalanidhi Gopalakrishna and businessman Gunta Ramesh Rao were taken into custody on Saturday, February 12, in connection with the cases being probed by the agency on the orders of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
The CBI has recently carried out searches at 10 locations, including office and residential premises of the accused and suspects in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, wherein incriminating evidence was recovered, the central probe agency said in a statement.
"The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered several cases/FIRs against the accused allegedly involved in intentionally targeting the Hon'ble Judges and Judiciary through interviews/social media/posts/speeches in on-line platforms, maliciously attributing ulterior motives in delivery of orders/judgements. The cases/FIRs have been registered on the orders of the Hon'ble High Court of Andhra Pradesh," the statement said.
Recently on February 10, the CBI announced that it had registered seven more FIRs in connection with alleged derogatory comments against the Supreme Court and Andhra Pradesh High Court judges on social media. The CBI booked Pradeep Kumar Reddy Chanda, Manvitha, Ramanjaneya Reddy, Arjun Ganji, Bathila Ashok Reddy, Anand Sonti and Maruti Reddy in separate FIRs for their alleged comments against the judges over some of their judgments, the officials said.
On November 11 last year, the agency had registered a case against 16 accused and took over 12 FIRs from CID, Andhra Pradesh, on the orders of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. The CBI has also filed several charge sheets in the matter.
It was alleged that the key personnel occupying posts of prominence in Andhra Pradesh, by intentionally targeting the judiciary, made derogatory posts on social media platforms against judges and judiciary following some court verdicts delivered by the judges of High Court of Andhra Pradesh, CBI spokesperson RC Joshi had then said. He had said the CBI had gotten the objectionable posts removed from social media, public domains and various other places on the internet.
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